Images d'Alger — Alfred Figueras | Copy No. 73 (1948)

Artist: Alfred Figueras

Title: Images d'Alger

Literary Texts: Excerpts from André Gide's Amyntas and Les Nourritures terrestres

Place of Publication: Barcelona – Alger (Algiers)

Year: 1948

Edition: Limited edition of 181 copies: 155 numbered copies and 26 copies reserved for the artist, lettered A–Z

Copy Number: No. 73, one of 85 standard numbered copies containing the complete suite in its definitive state

Language: French

Format: Large-format portfolio in original cloth-covered portfolio with matching outer slipcase

Medium: Twenty original etchings, comprising one colour frontispiece and nineteen black-and-white plates

Paper: Royal Annam paper, specially manufactured for this edition by La Gelidense, S.A.

Printing: Etchings hand-pulled by F. Mélich in Barcelona under the direction of Edouard Chimot; printed at the presses of Ramon Torra, S. en C., in Manresa

Additional Works: Two original signed works by Alfred Figueras, one dedicated to André Romanet and the other to Monsieur et Madame Romanet (images 9 and 10)

Condition: The text leaves and all twenty etchings are in excellent condition. The frontispiece (image 11) retains its original transparent protective sheet, as do seventeen of the nineteen black-and-white plates; the protective sheets for plates 5 and 9 are absent. The two additional signed works are also in excellent condition. The inner portfolio casing shows minor foxing and light age wear. The original outer slipcase has spotting, edge wear, and handling marks consistent with age but remains structurally sound.

Weight: 4.125 kg

Dimensions: 35 × 46 × 4 cm, including the outer casing

Alfred Figueras' Images d'Alger is a large-format illustrated portfolio published in 1948, bringing together twenty original etchings and excerpts from André Gide's Amyntas and Les Nourritures terrestres. Comprising a colour frontispiece and nineteen black-and-white plates, the work presents Figueras's visual interpretation of Algiers alongside Gide's literary engagement with Algeria, its landscapes, and its cultural life.

The edition was produced to a high standard of craftsmanship. Its Royal Annam paper was specially manufactured by La Gelidense, S.A. The etchings were hand-pulled in Barcelona by F. Mélich under the direction of Edouard Chimot, with the printing completed at the presses of Ramon Torra, S. en C., in Manresa on 30 June 1948.

Of the 181 copies, 155 were numbered and 26 were reserved for the artist, lettered A–Z. This copy, numbered 73, belongs to the group of 85 standard numbered copies containing the complete suite in its definitive state.

Two additional original signed works by Figueras accompany this copy. One is dedicated to André Romanet and the other to both Monsieur and Madame Romanet (see images 9 and 10). Romanet was a gallery owner and promoter of modern art whose activities connected the artistic circles of Algiers and, later, Paris. These dedications provide a documented personal association with the Romanets, although no further provenance is asserted here.

Alfred Figueras (1898–1980)

Alfred Figueras was a Catalan painter and printmaker whose career connected Barcelona, Algiers, and the wider Mediterranean art world. He studied at Barcelona's Llotja school before moving to Algiers in 1925 due to the political circumstances in Spain. There, with the sculptor Rafel Tona (who was also in exile), he founded the Académie Arts, which became an important centre of artistic activity. His work drew extensively on the region's landscapes, architecture, light, and people.

Figueras and the Artistic Circle of Algiers

The academy became a meeting point for artists and other cultural figures, among them the young Albert Camus, as well as people associated with the city's wider artistic community.

Images d'Alger, published in 1948, more than two decades after Figueras's arrival in Algiers, reflected his sustained attachment and engagement to the city. The carefully produced post-war edition of twenty original etchings accompanied by passages from André Gide's Amyntas and Les Nourritures terrestres connect Figueras's artistic vision with a significant body of French writing shaped by North Africa. Its place within Figueras's artistic career also recalls the cultural networks that developed in Algiers during the interwar years and continued to resonate after his return to Catalonia.

Contemporary Recognition and Lasting Significance

Images d'Alger received recognition from prominent figures in French and European cultural life. Following its publication, Figueras received congratulatory letters from André Gide, Raoul Dufy, Jean Cocteau, and Le Corbusier, who recalled painting alongside the artist in the Casbah. Jean Cassou, then Director of the Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris, was also among those who praised his work. In 1949, the French government awarded Figueras the Palmes Académiques in recognition of Images d'Alger.

The portfolio's prints are represented in institutional collections in Catalonia, Algeria, and elsewhere, including the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya and museums in Manresa, Algiers, Oran, and Casablanca. Its subsequent exhibition history and the publication of a commemorative edition in 2019 reflect continuing interest in Figueras's artistic legacy.